Heartache
by Maidenstear
Summary: He's back...but she never expected this. -better than it sounds...I think? Rated to be safe. Sasusaku
1. Chapter 1

Aneko: Hi again…I think I don't have a life outside of anime and cheesy romance stuffs…I think I may have a serious problem…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Heartache-Chapter one**

One hyperactive ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, ran down the streets of Konoha, searching for a pink-haired girl.

"Naruto!"

He screeched to a halt as he was passing Ichiraku ramen. Hinata had called to him from behind the curtains. She blushed as his eyes fell upon her.

"Oh, hey Hinata!" A grin lit up his foxy face. "How's it going?"

"Oh! U-um, I'm fine. D-do you want to…have some ramen…with me?" She almost couldn't get the request out from between trembling lips, feeling faint.

"Hey, that sounds—No, wait!" Naruto shook his head, trying to look serious and clear his head of the thought of ramen, which was impossible. "I've gotta find Sakura! Have you seen her anywhere Hinata? It's really important!"

"N-no, I haven't, b-but she might be at Ino's flower shop."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Naruto raced off again. Hinata sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit in defeat. Shino adjusted his glasses as Kiba patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, Hinata. Better luck next time."

"Y-yeah."

"So I was talking to Shikamaru about it, and he just goes, 'Troublesome woman!' Can you believe him? Ugh, I swear, he is _the_ laziest—"

Sakura smiled as she kept half-listening to Ino's rant. She picked up another vase, filling it with water and putting in a new colorful bouquet.

* * *

"—And then he _fell asleep_. Can you believe it, Sakura?" Ino asked, throwing her hands in the air. "Ugh, _men_!" She finished her little rant with a dramatic sigh, flopping down over the sales counter.

Sakura just laughed and carried the flowers back over to the counter. She was about to set them down when someone loud came running down the street, yelling her name.

"Bet you that's one of two people, and they're both annoying," Ino said into the counter bellow her head.

"SAKURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Naruto ran up, his arms pin-wheeling.

"Hi Naruto," Sakura said, smiling at the energetic blonde.

"Yup," Ino said, "it just had to be the _more_ annoying one. What do you want?"

"No, listen, it's important! Guys, Sasuke's back!"

WHAT?"

Sakura froze, saying nothing, but Ino was up in an instant, pestering Naruto for details.

"What? When? How? Where is he? Is the Hokage giving him a huge punishment?"

Naruto raised his hands in defense, backing away a bit from Ino's onslaught. "Whoa, easy. He was brought back by yours truly, _naturally_. We brought him in about an hour ago. Old lady Tsunade's probably giving him the lecture of a lifetime right about now." Naruto put his hands behind his head, looking smug.

"No way— _you_ brought him back? How'd an idiot like you manage to beat Sasuke?"

"HEY!" They glared at each other.

_Clunk! _

The two paused to look in surprise at Sakura. She had set down the vase a little too hard on the counter, the water inside sloshing out a bit.

"That's great, Naruto!" She said, the false cheeriness obvious in her voice and the fake smile wide nearly to breaking, "Tell him I said hi!"

"Uh, wait, you're not going to visit him?" Naruto asked in confusion, watching her as she headed for the door.

"Maybe tomorrow," Sakura said, before exiting, the store bell clanging harshly behind her.

"I don't get it," Naruto said, dumbfounded, "I thought she'd be really happy. She said she loves him, doesn't she want to go visit him?"

"You idiot!" Ino said, conking him over the head.

"OW! Hey!"

Ino ignored his complaint, turning back to watch her friend's retreating back. "It's not that she doesn't love him. It's just that she's trying to keep her heart from hurting."

* * *

Sakura held it together well on the way home, making her fake smile look a little less fake. But when she got home, and retreated to the safety of her room, she took a deep breath and let the sobs come hard. Sobs she had been holding in since the day Sasuke left. Her face was muffled by her pillow, letting her tears get soaked into the comforting fabric.

When she had cried all the tears her body could give, she felt exhaustion setting in, and she welcomed a sweet sleep.

* * *

"Sakura."

Sakura turned, looking for the source of the voice which haunted her dreams. It was so achingly familiar. Yet when he appeared before her, holding out a hand to her, his onyx eyes boring into hers, she turned and ran.

_Why am I running away?_ She asked herself, but she didn't dare stop. Something compelled her to keep going, to _get away_ from him.

"Sakura."

_No! Why do I dream of him? He'll never love me. Never. Never. Never._

* * *

Sakura woke up with puffy red eyes and a runny nose. It always felt good to cry, but the aftereffects were devastating…

She took a shower, doing the best she could to make herself look presentable. After all, she couldn't go out with a fake smile if it wasn't convincing. And being a ninja, she was skilled in the art of deception.

She had hardly set foot out of the house when Naruto appeared.

"Sakura, Old Lady Tsunade wants to see you."

"Okay. I was on my way there anyways. Thanks, Naruto."

Naruto watched her make her way to the Hokage's Tower.

"_It's just that she's trying to keep her heart from hurting."_

His face grew sad. "Whatever you do, Sasuke, don't break her heart again." He murmured.

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" Sakura asked as she stood before the Hokage.

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork. "Sakura. Thanks for coming." She didn't look too happy, in all actuality. "Sakura, I need you to do something for me…"

"W-what is it?" A terrible feeling settled deep in the pit of her stomach. She could tell this was going to be something she wasn't going to like.

"Sakura…" Tsunade sighed. "Here's the thing…You know Naruto brought Sasuke back, right?" Sakura nodded. "I guess he didn't tell you that Sasuke's been in the hospital since then."

"What?" Sakura bit her lip. "That stupid…he could have told me that first."

"Yes."

"How bad is it?"

"Intensive care unit."

Sakura drew in a sharp breath. She had only been to the intensive care unit a couple times, delivering messages to other medics. It still gave her nightmares sometimes. Sasuke was there? And she thought she had been prepared.

"Sakura…Naruto told me you don't want to see him, but he's in a lot of danger currently, and I need you to go take care of him."

"Lady Tsunade, please, I…" Sakura whispered, her knees weak.

"Sakura, I know you don't want to. Believe me, I wish I didn't have to. But I've already got Shizune working on him with a team of the best. But you've been working with me for quite some time. I won't lie, _you're_ one of the best now."

Sakura felt a thrill go through her at the compliment, but the prospect of the task Tsunade had given was still weighing her down.

"Sakura, It's just until he's out of the danger zone. _Please_. I'm not about to let him die. He probably won't even wake up while you're there."

* * *

Sakura walked with heavy steps down the hall. Each sound her shoe made on the polished tiles made her chest feel heavier.

She knew the room he would be in. It was the largest room in the intensive care unit. The hallway was eerily quiet, and Sakura found herself creeping down it on tiptoe.

She hardly recognized the man who lay on the bed. He was hooked up to tubes and machines of all sorts, beeps from various monitors echoing around. A cloth covered in medical seals was placed over his face, hiding his eyes. More seals were written on his bare chest, which, though there was no physical wound on it, probably had some internal bleeding. Several medics were watching the monitors, including Shizune.

"Sakura, I'm so glad you're here!" She gasped. She was holding some sort of jutsu by the edge of Sasuke's bed with another medic. "Please, take this one's place, he's been here too long. If he doesn't move soon he'll collapse."

Despite her hesitation over seeing Sasuke, Sakura's training kicked in, and she took her place at the end of the bed, dismissing the grateful man. She knew the jutsu Shizune was using; Tsunade had made her memorize many over and over again until they were ingrained in her head like her ABC's.

They stood there holding the jutsu for longer than Sakura could imagine. Shizune was forced to switch out, too tired to continue, but Sakura kept going, her chakra reserves still fresh.

When it was finally over, the massive amount of chakra she had expended left her drowsy and weak, her normally sure hands shaking from exhaustion. She made her way to a chair and collapsed into it. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

* * *

Back up in the Hokage's office, Tsunade sat in her chair, observing the village. A knock sounded on her door, and she summoned them in. It was Shizune.

"So? How did it go?"

Shizune bowed her head a bit. "Lady Tsunade, Sasuke Uchiha has been pulled out of the biggest danger…"

Tsunade let out a loud, pent-up sigh. "Good. I swear, these kids take years off my life." She began hunting around for some sake in celebration.

"But Lady Tsunade, there's something else."

* * *

Aneko: A dead fic being re-done, re-mastered, getting a facelift, whatever you want to say. I'm fixing it because it's old. Not too much, though. Because it's not as old as others. I was just in the mood for this one.


	2. Chapter 2

Aneko: Whoa, didn't expect that Hmm…Hopefully you all like this story, but I'm not sure…mah, I just have to plow ahead.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, that would have been one messed up story line…

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Chapter two

Tsunade froze, a sake bottle partly raised to her mouth.

"…What kind of bad news?"

Shizune shifted nervously. "Well…"

* * *

Sakura stirred groggily, her head in the grip of a splitting headache. And her back hurt from the chair she had been napping on. Wonderful. She brushed the sleep from her eyes impatiently and sat up, blinking and trying to make herself awake.

Her patient had not stirred a bit since she last saw him. The monitors still bleeped quietly, almost sleepily, providing a lullaby of sorts. There were no other medics in the room now.

We must have gotten him out of the danger zone…Sakura thought. I guess I should tell Tsunade-sama and then go home…

And yet she didn't. Her feet led her, hesitatingly, closer to the bed, until she fell to the floor beside the head. She couldn't see his face, obscured as it was by the cloth. But some of his raven locks were loose, falling on the pillow. Almost without realizing it, Sakura reached forward, stroking the strands. They were soft and silky, just like she imagined they would be.

His chest rose and fell rhythmically in sleep, oblivious to his own condition. Sakura looked at where she would have seen his face, shaking her head and frowning helplessly.

"Look at what you've done to me, Sasuke," she whispered, her voice raw. "I thought I could move on…I thought I could _heal_…_I thought I could live_! And _you_…you had to come back, just when I thought I would be able to forget."

Sakura shook her head again, giving a little broken laugh as tears began to well up. One made its way down her cheek, and hit Sasuke's hand, lying on top of the sheets.

"Now look at me, Sasuke. Look what you've done! I can't forget now, not with you around me again. You broke me again. Are you glad?...I don't know…" Sakura wiped the tears out of her eyes, taking a deep breath and standing up.

"I suppose it's my fault, though…I still love you, after all," she, said finally with a half-hearted smile.

"Sakura!" A medic came through the door. "Lady Tsunade wishes to see you."

"Thank you." Sakura smiled, and went to see her teacher.

"Sakura, thank you for all your hard work. I can honestly say he might not have survived without you."

Sakura managed a small smile. She knew Tsunade was trying, in her own way, to apologize for making her do this.

Suddenly a medic burst into the room. "Lady Tsunade! A team was ambushed a few days' distance outside of the village. They're sending out a distress signal!"

"What?! No one sends out a distress signal unless their unit is unable to move. Alright, that must mean they're injured badly. Shizune, pick a squad and go find them."

"Right."

Tsunade looked at Sakura, then bit her lip. "Sakura…I'd like you to continue to look after Sasuke." Sakura looked like she was about to protest, but Tsunade cut her off. "Look, I can't look after him, and I need someone to be there who will know what to do should something go wrong."

Sakura shuddered at the phrase _should something go wrong_, but reluctantly nodded. There was sense in what she was saying, and Sakura knew better to refuse when Tsunade was making a decision. The woman ran the whole village, after all. Responsibility meant that not everyone got to be happy. The village came first, and if Sakura was supposed to help by taking care of Sasuke, then so be it.

She travelled back down to Sasuke's room, a little more willingly this time. When she entered, once again she was alone with him, and she decided to do a routine check on the monitors, just because she didn't have anything else to do. She checked the charts first, wondering what the seals on his face and chest were for.

The chart for the face-seal read: _Minor_ _cornea and retina damage, total extent of damage unknown._ The chart for the other seal said: _Major hemorrhage and internal bleeding. Multiple broken bones and fractures._

Sakura thought she should look at his eyes for herself, so she went to the bed and began peeling back the jutsu, her hands certain. When it had been completely removed, she took it away to dispose of it, finding a new one just in case she needed it.

Sakura returned to Sasuke's side. As she reached forward, intending to examine his eyes though, they opened.

The young Uchiha blinked onyx orbs, and they quickly observed his surroundings.

_Stay professional,_ Sakura, Sakura told herself. Instead of panicking over the fact that he had suddenly woken up, she tried to think of how much easier that would make the examination.

"Sasuke. Welcome back," Sakura said. It wasn't much of a greeting, seeing as he had just been absent for so long that almost everyone had lost count of the time he had been gone.

Sasuke's eyes flew to her, staring expressionlessly. Sakura tried not to flinch. He did not reply, but then again, she wouldn't have expected anything more or less.

"I'm going to examine your eyes, Sasuke, so I need you to look at me, please."

Sakura leaned over him, but his eyes were surveying his surroundings again, not looking at her. Sakura frowned. "Sasuke, look at me."

She gently took the sides of his face in her hands so that he couldn't move. "This won't take long if you cooperate. Look up." Amazingly, he did as she requested.

"Good. Now look down, left and right, slowly, please." Sakura watched, finally letting go of his face and getting up.

"Thank you." She walked over to the monitors to take a look at what the other medics had found.

"…Sakura?"

His voice, a bit rough from his condition, was enough to halt her breath. She willed herself calm, and turned to face him. He was watching her.

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"Where am I?"

Sakura turned back, fiddling with the controls on the screen and bringing up different pictures of Sasuke's eyes. "The intensive care unit. Apparently you've been here since you got back three days ago."

Sasuke went silent after that, to Sakura's relief, and she remembered that she was going to look at the other chart details. She moved on to another monitor, pulling up the pictures of Sasuke's inner organs. It was ironic, she thought, with a humorless smile, that Sasuke would never tell her anything, and now he needed her (technically).

Sakura frowned, searching for the image she wanted. Each time she tried to get a scan of his organs, the computer denied access. She knew all the passcodes, so the computer must just be broken. Sakura shrugged. She could make do for now. And it wasn't as if Sasuke was going anywhere. She would address the problem with Lady Tsunade tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Sakura turned back to Sasuke, ready to explain the situation.

"I'm going to be the medic to take care of you, Sasuke. You'll be here until I'm told otherwise, and since I know as little—less, actually—about how long it will be as you, we're even. "

_Whether you like it or not_, she added silently.

"Sakura! Sakura!" Naruto came bursting into the room.

Sakura couldn't resist giving him a little whack to the head (Mind, "little" being in relative terms. This _is_ Sakura we're talking about). She frowned, exasperated.

"Naruto! Stop being so loud! You'll aggravate the patient!"

Naruto grabbed his head whimpering. "Why'd you have to hit so hard…? Ah, man…"

"Oh come on. You'll be fine. What did you come down here for?"

"Well I dunno. I just came to visit, I guess." He turned to Sasuke and gave a grin. Sasuke glared.

It was like déjà vu. Like old times. It was almost painful for Sakura.

"Look what happened, Sasuke, I put you in the hospital. Who's stronger _now_?" Naruto gloated.

"Naruto, when I get out of here I'm going to kill you."

Once upon a time, that threat would have been taken seriously. But laying on hospital bed and barely able to move as he was, Sasuke's words were actually kind of funny. Sakura couldn't help a tear rolling down her cheek, and she fought the corners of her mouth that were trying to turn down.

"Sakura?"

Sakura looked up. Naruto had noticed her tears, his cerulean eyes full of concern. Even Sasuke seemed to be glancing at her.

Sakura smiled, even though tears were still coming down her face. "I'm fine. It's just been so long since…since we were all together again."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, his eyes growing serious. "Sakura—"

"That's right, isn't it? All of Team 7…"

All the young ninjas turned quickly to the door.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

It was none other than the grey-haired Jonin leader of Team 7.

Kakashi smiled under his mask, his visible eye closing as he raised a hand in greeting. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"Just came to visit our returned teammate," Kakashi said as he walked to the side of Sasuke's bed. He looked at him with a critical eye. "Naruto really did a number on you, didn't he?"

Sasuke didn't reply, glaring off to the side. He did not like having it shoved in his face (several times) that he had been beaten by his rival. Sakura was speechless. Sasuke was most likely stronger that Kakashi-sensei by now, yet it was like Sasuke had never left—being scolded by Kakashi, getting moody when someone said something that angered him. It was like he had never left at all.

"Well." Kakashi turned to Sakura and Naruto. "I'd like to speak to Sasuke alone for a while, guys. Sakura, I was told you were to watch Sasuke, but you can go take a break. I'll watch him for a while. Go out and enjoy yourself. I'll find you if something goes wrong."

"Oh…okay." Sakura was surprised, but grateful. The atmosphere would have turned suffocating in here after a while of she and Sasuke just sitting there. She walked out, wondering what she could do with her day.

Naruto shrugged and headed out the door.

"Huh," he mumbled, "Maybe I'll go get some ramen with Hinata. She _did_ offer after all."

Aneko: Another cliffie, I know. But you'll find out eventually why I keep cutting it off there. I have a reason, I promise. I'm not just putting them there to torture.


	3. Chapter 3

Aneko: Nothing to say…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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Chapter 3

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi as he closed the door.

"What's so important that you can't let _them_—" he jerked his head towards the door, "—know about?"

Kakashi laughed. "You know me well, huh? I was called into Lady Tsunade's office this morning. She told me to tell you. You are not allowed to tell Naruto and Sakura this under any circumstance."

* * *

Sakura walked aimlessly down the street, wondering what she should do. She had planned to stick around the hospital after Tsunade had assigned her to take care of Sasuke. Now that Kakashi-sensei had dismissed her for a while, she didn't know what she wanted to do.

"Hey forehead, over here!" Sakura looked over to see Ino waving from the flower shop. She changed direction and went over.

"So, Sakura, what's up?" Ino asked with a smile.

Sakura sighed. "Lady Tsunade put me in charge of taking care of Sasuke while he's recovering."

Ino's eyebrows shot up, and her eyes grew dark. "Really?" She didn't sound too envious.

Ino, contrary to everyone's beliefs, had given up on Sasuke. Ever since he had left, she didn't have the heart to pick a fight with Sakura. Not when her ex-best friend would look as though she were breaking from the inside out whenever he was mentioned. She may have been competitive about him, but she was not competitive enough to hurt Sakura like that. In a way, you could say they had become friends again because of the same person who had separated them.

"How long? Do you know?"

"I think it's just until he's out of intensive care."

"Well that's not too long, is it? Cheer up, after that you don't have to be around him." Ino was also aware, without words, what Sakura's feelings were without words.

"I guess…" Sakura bit her lip and bowed her head, her eyes hidden by her bangs.

"Ino, I…"

Ino tilted her head, trying hard to her Sakura's suddenly quiet voice. It was like back when they were little, and Sakura was a shy little girl who cried all the time.

"I feel like…I should hate him. Hate him for leaving us, when we were right _here_ for him, but I…I can't. But I can't…forgive him either. How can I love him _still_…after everything he's done?" By the time she was finished, tears were leaking out her eyes.

Ino sighed. "Nobody ever said love was reasonable."

Ino looked at her friend sadly. Ever since Sakura had promised herself to get stronger and bring Sasuke back, she had not shed a single tear. Instead, she worked herself hard, and whenever she felt like crying, she worked herself even harder. This was the first time Ino had seen her cry in a long time. All she could do was put an arm around her shoulder and let her cry.

"Go home, Sakura. Get some rest. Don't overwork yourself, okay?"

"Yeah…"

* * *

Sakura had barely flopped onto her bed when her mother called from downstairs.

"Sakura! Kakashi-sensei just dropped by. He said he's done talking and you can go back now."

_That was fast_, Sakura thought, heading dully back down again.

"What does he mean, anyways?" Her mother asked as she saw her daughter appear.

"Oh, just a patient I'm taking care of at the hospital."

Sakura hadn't told her mother she was taking care of Sasuke. Lady Tsunade had said that the fact that he had been brought back hadn't been publicized around the village yet (She had been sure to give Naruto a sound ear-lashing on the subject. He was _not_ to go around boasting to everyone how he had brought Sasuke back). It was to stay a secret. For now.

* * *

A private conversation was currently being held in the Hokage's office.

"Lady Tsunade, why did you assign Sakura to take care of Sasuke?" Shizune asked, just returned from her recent mission. "I understand that she would know what to do if you weren't there—she _is_ your apprentice, after all. But she was not the only choice to take care of him. There are others who are just as capable. Why make her suffer like this?"

"It does seem cruel to do this to her, I know." Tsunade's chair squeaked as she turned to look out the window. "Tell me, Shizune. How much do you know about the legendary squad seven?"

"Huh? Um…not much…what do you mean?"

"I mean, did you ever notice the curse that seems to hang about it? That every team seven that has been made has ended in tragedy in some way? It hasn't stopped. It continued with Naruto's team. This time, I think that these kids will be strong enough to overcome it. But unless they're given a shove in the right direction, they'll never be able to get back on their feet again."

"It still seems a bit too cruel. Couldn't you take it slower?"

"No. If it's going to happen, it has to be now, while Sasuke can't go anywhere. Get it? Otherwise, it will be too late. Sakura will also serve as a guard for, when the time comes, if Sasuke tries to make a break for it when he's well enough."

"Lady Tsunade, I don't want to seem rude but…do you really think Sakura is capable of stopping Sasuke if he tries?"

Tsunade gave a little smile. "That's exactly what I think, Shizune. She and Naruto have already lost him once. I don't think they're about to let him go again."

* * *

Sakura dumped her bags in a chair as soon as she got in Sasuke's room. He hardly spared a glance in her direction.

"Hello to you too," Sakura said, smiling sarcastically. "I brought you some food. I may work at a hospital, but I know the food doesn't taste the best. If they throw a fit, just hide it under your bed or something."

Sakura picked a few things from the bag. "You want something now? You must be hungry after so long of being asleep. Don't worry, there's no ramen." She joked.

"…Fine."

Sasuke didn't even glance at Sakura as she sat down, but he did notice what she had in her hand.

_An apple?_ It was, indeed, a ruby red apple. Against his will, memories of the last time surfaced in Sasuke's mind. Memories of a time before everything changed, when a weak, clingy girl would sit in a hospital room and peel apples for a Sasuke who had been helpless and lost.

But things were different now. Right? He wasn't lost, and he definitely wasn't helpless. And Sakura? She seemed to have done a complete 180, from what he could see so far. She almost didn't seem to care anymore.

At least, he would have thought that, if he didn't know Sakura well enough.

"Here, Sasuke." Sakura gave him the plate with peeled apple slices, putting away the knife and standing up again.

"Hn."

Sasuke ate in silence, and Sakura began rifling through the bags she had brought once more. She pulled out a bouquet of red tulips, which she had bought at Ino's shop to brighten up the dismal gray shades of the hospital.

"I'm going to go get a vase for these," she said, and excused herself.

* * *

It was a quiet day in the hospital today. Sakura went to a supply room and found one of the vases that visitors had left behind. As she filled it with water, she half closed her eyes, remembering what Ino had told her.

* * *

_Sakura entered the Yamanaka flower shop quietly._

_"Hey, Sakura!" Ino greeted cheerfully._

_"Hi, Ino…"_

_Ino paused. Was it her, or did Sakura sound…shy?_

_"You want something, Sakura?"_

_"I, um…I wanted to buy some flowers…"_

_Ino raised an eyebrow. "To put in Sasuke's room?"_

_"H-how did you…?" Sakura looked at the floor._

_"Come on Sakura. You haven't been shy since you were six. I got it. I'll pick something just right."_

_Ino went behind the counter and pulled out a tightly wrapped bouquet of lively red tulips._

_Sakura couldn't help but be awed by them. "They're so pretty!"_

_"Aren't they?" Ino smiled. She fingered the delicate green leaf on one of them. "Hey Sakura, did you know that different flowers have different meanings?"_

_"What? Really? How do you know?"_

_"Silly. I work at a flower shop. Of course I would know. The meanings are used for people to convey feelings to each other." Ino paused, looking up at Sakura with the bouquet covering the lower portion of her face._

_"Do you know what the symbol of red tulips is?"_

_"What?"_

_Ino placed the flowers in Sakura's hands, smiling again. "They say: Believe me; I love you."_

_"Thank you Ino." For some reason, Sakura felt like crying just a little bit._

_"Good luck, Sakura."_

* * *

The faucet handle squeaked as Sakura turned it off. She briefly looked out the window, catching a glimpse of a bird fluttering by. She took a deep breath.

_This time, I want it to be different. This time, I want him to understand_, she thought.

"Is there something you need Sakura?" Tsunade looked at her apprentice over a smallish mountain of paperwork.

"Yes. Lady Tsunade, I've tried to get the monitor to show me the scan of Sasuke's internal organs, but the computer won't let me. Is there something wrong with it? Did you change any passwords? No matter what I try, it just doesn't work."

"Hmm? Is that so?"

Sakura thought that Lady Tsunade didn't look very surprised. Maybe she had gotten drunk while working again—sneaking drinks when Shizune wasn't looking. Either way, it seemed kind of weird.

"I'll see what I can do. We may have to get a new computer. That could take a while. I'm not exactly sure, but I don't think the damage was too sever, from what I can recall."

"Oh? All right, then. I think I can do without, then. Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Sakura bowed and left.

Tsunade folded her hands in front of her face, watching Sakura retreat. Her face suddenly grew centuries older.

"Please…don't let it come to that…what ever happens. Pleas, please forgive me, Sakura…"

* * *

Aneko: I've been gone for a while. I have to admit, I sort of forgot about this…eheh…BUT! I'm back.

Little note, in case you're interested—that actually is the meaning of the red tulip. I think there may be more than one, though, because I've seen it as different meanings in different places. All flowers have their own meaning (which you probably know). It's pretty interesting. Try checking it out! Ja, sayonara.


	4. Chapter 4

Aneko: Whelp, I'm back again. Sick of me yet? Ah ha (On second thought, please don't answer that... T.T). You may or may not be sick of all these little worthless cutoffs I keep putting in here (well, you probably already figured them out anyways…I'm not the best at subtlety…)

Disclaimer: Oh for crying—do I have to go through this every time? –grumble- I don't own Naruto…

Fakir: Says the laziest person in the world.

Ahiru: That's why she hates disclaimers!

Aneko: What the—what are you two doing here?! This isn't your story! THIS ISN'T EVEN YOUR ANIME!

Fakir and Ahiru: -shrug- You tell us.

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4

"Sasuke?" Sakura knocked on the door. It had been closed when she got back. There was no answer, so she opened it quietly.

Sasuke was asleep, one arm under his head like a pillow.

Sakura couldn't help a small giggle. _Seriously, sleeping in that position, acting like he's perfectly at home. Old habits die hard. Some things just can't be changed, maybe?_

Sakura's giggle died down as she seriously looked at him. He looked so peaceful in sleep. All of the anger, all the burdens, slipped away. Sakura crouched down on the ground beside the bed so that her head was level with his.

She was close enough to touch him, but why did he always feel so distant? She wanted to get closer to him, but after two years of separation, there was this rift that was not so easily crossed. What was there to talk about? To say to him? She didn't even know where to start.

Sakura rested her chin on her hands. She felt very, very tired, all of a sudden.

She was still sitting there when his eyes opened. Sakura didn't have time to explain herself before Sasuke's face closed up again, and he was staring at her impassively.

"What are you doing?"

Sakura got up, willing herself to stay calm.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Hn…annoying…" Sakura barely caught the mutter under his breath, but for some reason it made her feel a little more at ease.

From down the hall a ways, there came a scream. Startled, Sakura got up from her seat at some charts, going to the door.

A woman stumbled out of a room, her hands laced into tangled, dirty hair. She screamed and screamed, and just continued screaming. Nurses poured out of her room and down the hall, trying to restrain her, but she wouldn't let them near enough to touch her, wrenching herself away from them whenever so much as a fingertip grazed her.

Sakura quietly stopped one of the nurses running past.

"What happened?" She asked, nodding to the woman.

"Oh, her?" The nurse looked gently down at the kunoichi. "She got back from a mission several days ago. She just woke up from a coma. Her whole squad was killed, including her fiancé."

The nurse continued down the hall to assist the others in containing the kunoichi. Sakura's gaze lingered as the woman was finally given a sedative and led back into her room as she lost consciousness.

Sakura paused, and after a moment's thought shut the door quietly. From behind her, she heard Sasuke give an impatient grunt.

"Something wrong?"

"Hn. Isn't it a rule—shinobi should never show their emotions?"

Sakura smiled humorlessly. She should have expected as much from the human ice block, the very epitome of the rule he described.

"It's not as easy for some as it is for others; surely you know that."

_Even you, who does not seem to feel._

At her own words, Sakura felt a memory stir of a time on a bridge, being unable to control her own emotions as she cried over a boy who, looking back on it now, she had barely even known.

Sakura opened the window in the room, leaning out and letting the cool breeze blew through her short pink hair.

"Haven't you ever felt it, Sasuke?"

"…?" Sasuke frowned at her turned back.

Sakura looked up, into the endless blue sky. Her voice rang hollowly through the room.

"Defeat."

"Hn." Sasuke leaned back against his pillow, only half-listening now. "Of course not."

"Really?" Sakura didn't even turn to look at him. Her voice floated liltingly along with the breeze. "I think…I know a little about it. I see it, here…Defeat—such a helpless feeling. Like trying to catch the wind in your hand. Or trying to stop the rain. Or," Sakura's voice grew harsher. "Telling a mother that the baby died in childbirth. Watching a friend and comrade die before your eyes. Seeing a child's soul broken by parents who died on a battlefield and being able to do _nothing_ about it." Sakura sighed, her voice quieting again. "Or trying to save someone who doesn't want to be saved."

Sasuke looked off to the side impassively. "I know nothing of defeat."

"Nothing?" Sakura shut the window, and the room was thrown into semi-darkness. She turned to Sasuke, her form a shadowy silhouette. "Not even…ten years ago?"

Sasuke stiffened slightly, his fists tightening. They both knew what event Sakura was implying.

Sakura watched him carefully and as calmly as she could. She knew she had just stepped onto dangerous ground. She had never breached this subject with Sasuke before (mostly because he would close up even more when someone mentioned the subject), but after his years of tutelage to kill one person, his response was likely to be even more unpredictable and volatile.

Sasuke looked up at her finally, and Sakura saw the black comma-like markings spinning rapidly, though he had activated no jutsu and was not attacking. His sharingan scorched her with its intensity.

"Never," he growled through clenched teeth. "Mention that day."

It was the first time Sakura had seen him seething with such emotion, of any kind. She found her hands were shaking slightly, but she clasped them together stubbornly, determined not to let Sasuke see that she was afraid.

"Why is that, Sasuke? I thought you didn't know what defeat felt like."

Sasuke knew not to let anger get the better of him. And since he couldn't get out of the hospital bed without assistance, it was useless anyways. With difficulty, he deactivated the sharingan, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were hard black again, his face shut.

"That doesn't concern you."

"Funny. It never does."

Sasuke did not honor this comment with a response, and so silence reigned again as Sakura returned to her charts.

Sasuke found himself slightly irked, instead of his supposed complete lack of caring. He was surprised, though he would never have admitted it. In the years he had been gone, Sakura had changed. She no longer clung to Sasuke incessantly, eyes shining with infatuation whenever he so much as looked at her. She was…different.

Now, she could meet his gaze evenly, could hold a conversation with him, could talk back to him, even. And even though he had betrayed the village, leaving right in front of her, knocking her out, and leaving her on a park bench, her eyes showed no spark of hate, no sign of anger or vengeance. Her attitude annoyed him in the fact that she didn't make any sense to him. Then again, she never had.

But there was something else. Something that struck him as odd that he couldn't quite figure out…

"How long has it been, Sasuke?" Sakura's quiet voice interrupted Sasuke's musings.

"What are you talking about now?" Sasuke asked, his eyebrows drawing together.

Sakura still wasn't looking at Sasuke. "How long…since we actually talked to one another?"

"How should I know that?"

But they both did. The last night Sasuke had ever openly explained anything openly Sakura. The only time, in fact, besides two other times that Sakura could remember. Once when she had tried to start a conversation by talking meanly about Naruto (how she regretted it now) and the other, when they had first started as a team, and Sasuke had attempted to explain himself during the bell exercise.

So how long ago was it?

_A lifetime… _

"Don't bring up unnecessary things. As soon as I get out of this hospital, I'm getting out of this village. Don't get your hopes up, because I'm not going to be here for very long."

"Oh really? It's not going to be as easy as you think, you know. There's a lot that you have to atone for. You've committed heavy crimes." Though she said this, her words contained no bitterness. "After years of your absence, Lady Tsunade isn't about to let you just walk out again."

_At least_, Sakura thought, _I hope she won't._

"So? Do you think that will stop me? You're still naïve, Sakura. No one in _this_ village can stop me."

Sakura didn't like the way he said "this village," like they were all worthless.

"What about…Naruto?"

A silence so deep it seemed to clog her breathing followed.

When Sasuke spoke, his voice was barely audible, but it held the tight-fisted fury of an Uchiha.

"Get out of here, Sakura. Leave me alone."

Sakura frowned. "But I'm—"

"_Now!_" Sasuke hissed.

Sakura shut her mouth, and without thinking, took off like a frightened rabbit.

Sasuke slid back down in bed with a world-weary sigh. He closed his eyes, and tried to drown his exhausted, tortured mind in sleep.

* * *

As Sakura's heart finally slowed, so did her legs, and she stopped in a quiet hallway.

_What am I doing?_ She thought biting her lip. It was like she was a scared little twelve year old again. She couldn't just leave a patient like that. Tsunade had specifically ordered that _she_ be the one to take care of Sasuke.

But she was so very, very tired. In just this short amount of time, it was so hard to be around him so much.

Sakura shook her head. _I'll just get a little fresh air. That's all I need. A few minutes won't hurt._

She was near the front of the hospital, so Sakura went to the front desk to request a substitute in Sasuke Uchiha's room for a little while.

She exited the white-walled building and was greeted with a gust of cool wind. Sakura inhaled deeply. It smelled deeply of the trees and moisture. She guessed there would be rain tonight.

The sun was beginning to set, turning the tops of the buildings to orange fire.

"Hey, Sakura!"

Naruto came running up. his usual grin in place. His cyan blue eyes contained a hint of orange from the sun, giving him a slightly wilder look.

"I was looking for you!"

"What is it, Naruto?"

"Um, well it's just that Lee and Hinata and I were going to go to Ichiraku's to get some ramen. Want to come?" He scratched the back of his head and smiled a bit nervously, mostly because Sakura never agreed to go anywhere with him. But he had seen the painful expression on her face just a moment ago.

The term _double date_ came to Sakura's mind, but for once, she wanted to go. Wanted to think about something other than Sasuke.

"Yeah…okay. That sounds great."

Naruto's grin widened. "Seriously? Al_right_, let's go!" He began to lead the way boisterously towards Ichiraku's.

With one last glance at the hospital, Sakura followed.

* * *

Aneko: Ta-dah! I actually liked this chapter the most so far. I hope you do as well.


	5. Chapter 5

Aneko: All of your comments make me really happy and encourage me to do one of the things I love the most—to write! Please keep enjoying my stories.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 5

When Naruto and Sakura ducked under the entrance to Ichiraku's, Lee and Hinata were already waiting. They both smiled, and Sakura felt her heart brighten just a little.

Naruto sat down next to Hinata, and Sakura sat next to Lee, who was one Hinata's other side. Sakura saw the blush that crept across Hinata's face, and heard the slight stutter as she struck up a conversation with her long-time crush. Sakura silently cheered her on—all of the rookie nine and Gai's team knew how she liked the blonde (except said blonde himself, of course. But there were hopeful signs…).

Lee, sitting beside Sakura, also blushed a bit, but Sakura didn't have the heart to tell him not to get any ideas.

"Hello, Sakura," he said, smiling. "It has been a while since I have seen you. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Sakura said, smiling.

"What can I get for you kids tonight?" Asked the man behind the counter.

"Hey, old man!" Naruto shouted excitedly. "Gimme the biggest bowl you got!"

The owner smiled compliantly. Naruto was, after all, almost the single source for the ramen stand's entire income.

"Coming right up."

The rest of them ordered their own, more moderate portions, and when the bowls came, they started to eat the warming, if unhealthy, food. Sakura ate slowly, her appetite not very great at the moment. She had come more because she wanted the company than because she was hungry.

"Is something the matter, Sakura?"

Sakura looked up. Lee was looking at her in concern, and she could see Naruto and Hinata also looking at her.

"Oh, it's nothing I suppose…"

"Sakura, we know that Sasuke has returned," Lee told her.

Sakura looked at him, a little surprised. Lady Tsunade had said that no one was to be told. But it did make sense. Of the people closest to Sasuke, it had to be the Rookie nine and Gai's team.

"Well then, what's there to tell?" Sakura looked into her bowl. "He's back—I'm taking care of him."

"But that most certainly is not all, am I correct?" Lee asked.

Sakura sighed. Was it her, or did everybody seem to be able to read her nowadays?

"He's—so cold. I always knew that. We _all_ did. But it's—it's gotten so much worse. Ever since _that time_, when he was gone. Training under that _snake_." She practically spit the word snake. "It would have been so easy for me before, to just try my hardest to be close to him, to cling to him when he didn't want me to. But I know better than that now. I promised myself I would change. In my skills _and _my habits. Sasuke is a person, just like you or me, and I told myself I would treat him better."

Sakura smiled bitterly. "But just because I say that it doesn't mean I know how to act around him. What do you say to a person who never even speaks to you? I guess it sounds pretty silly, huh? I'm sorry for going on like that." Sakura blushed a bit, smiling sheepishly.

"Not at all."

The other three were looking at her encouragingly.

"Sakura, you've been watching him all this time, haven't you?" Hinata smiled. "He's the person you look up to and admire. You shouldn't give up."

"You're right Hinata. You'd know about that more than anyone, huh?" Sakura gave a little laugh.

"W-well…"Hinata played with her fingers, stuttering again.

"Huh? What do you mean? I don't get it!" Naruto looked between the two girls, totally lost. The other three just sweatdropped.

"I cannot believe you still do not realize…" Lee said, shaking his head.

"Understand WHAT?!"

Hinata just blushed.

* * *

A while (and on Naruto's part, several dozen or so bowls of ramen) later, the four split up for the night, wishing each other a good night. Sakura didn't really want to, but decided that she should check on Sasuke before she went home for the night.

When she went to his room, she switched places with the nurse, nodding to the woman as she went out.

The machines still beeped steadily, and the soft glow of the monitors lit the darkened room. Sakura found Sasuke lying on top of his bed, in a deep sleep. He was so fast asleep that he didn't stir when Sakura entered.

_He's normally such a light sleeper_, Sakura thought, tilting her head to the side. She walked up to his side and looked down at him. Something in Sakura's eyes softened, and she looked down at her crush, teammate and friend.

She had never before noticed the dark bags under his eyes. She wondered if he had had them since he had left, or before.

"Insomnia?" She wondered aloud. Sakura frowned sadly.

How long had it been since he had been able to have a full night's sleep, untroubled by dreams or not needing to be half-alert for ambush or the like? Even now, his sleep did not look very restful. His hand clenched and unclenched itself slightly every so often, and she could see the muscles in his arms go taut as he did so.

Sakura hesitated a moment, then reached down and placed a hand on his forehead.

His hands stopped clenching and his body went slack. Sakura sighed, letting her hand rest for a moment or so more. No matter how much training she had been given from Tsunade, there was just no medicine to cure bad dreams.

Finally, Sakura let go, and went home for the night.

* * *

"Sakura, may I come in?"

Sakura looked up from getting ready for bed. "Come on in, mom."

Mrs. Haruno entered her daughter's room. She wasn't very old for the mother of a teen girl, and she had the same pink hair and gentle green eyes of her daughter.

"What is it, mom?" Sakura asked curiously. She and her mother had a good relationship, considering Sakura's parents weren't shinobi. Her mother did her best to understand all the trials her daughter had to go through as a kunoichi.

"Sakura, honey, I heard a message from Lady Tsunade. Are you taking care of Sasuke?"

"Yes, I am." Sakura was beginning to see Tsunade's tactic. She was slowly releasing the knowledge into the village that Sasuke was back, a few people at a time. By the time everyone knew, it would be old news, hopefully.

"And? How is he?" Mrs. Haruno was no stranger to her daughter's long-time crush on the Uchiha boy.

"He's doing alright, I guess. Just a bit beaten up."

Mrs. Haruno sat on Sakura's bed, and Sakura sat beside her.

"And what about you?"

"I don't know," Sakura said, looking at her hands folded in her lap. "It's hard to say. He's impossible to talk to, even more so than before…" She didn't want to finish her sentence.

_Before he left._

"I just don't know how to react to him any more."

Mrs. Haruno took a minute to absorb Sakura's words.

"Sometimes, words aren't enough."

Sakura looked up at her mother, listening.

"I may not be a shinobi," Mrs. Haruno said carefully. "But I know that boy's past as well as anyone else in the village. He has lost a home and a family. He was betrayed by one he thought he could trust the most. He was only a _child_. After that, how easy do you think it would be to form more bonds? He was taught that bonds are painful things, and there was no one else around to help him know any better. Inside that exterior I think it is still just the heart of a boy. I think that for him, words are hard to take at face value anymore. More than words, what he needs is just someone to teach him what life really means."

* * *

As Sakura finished getting ready for bed, she thought about what her mother had told her. It made sense. She had always known that somehow, Sasuke was different from everyone else she had ever met. In the beginning, she had thought that, because he was perfect in her eyes, he was just "cool."

But she had never thought that the difference might stem from something so painful.

Sakura looked up at the stars outside her window. They shone with an unparalleled radiance.

_I guess in my rush to try and understand, I didn't understand what matters most. _

Sakura took a deep breath and made a promise to herself.

"From now on, I'm not going to let him go. I'm going to hold on, and I won't let go of that hand."

_But…I can't do it alone. Whatever I do, you have to be willing to hold on back, Sasuke. You have to want me to._

* * *

Aneko: Eh, I think I'm running out of steam for this fic. I'm going to finish it, don't worry, it's just a matter of how long...


	6. Chapter 6

Aneko: Urgh. Spring break couldn't have been more appreciated. Gosh I love actually getting to sleep in.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 6

Sasuke awoke slowly, blinking sleep from his eyes. Morning sunlight streamed in from the window and fell across the bed in bright rays. His body felt less sore, and for once he didn't feel tired at all.

Sasuke looked out the window. Had he actually slept the whole night through? He felt an odd feeling of surprise deep in his chest, but it was a peaceful kind of surprise. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept so deeply. It was a sort of miracle in itself.

The door swung open and Sasuke turned his head to see Sakura entering. She turned into the room, and Sasuke was reminded of what he had been thinking about the other day, and he finally realized what had been bothering him.

Sakura turned to face Sasuke and nearly jumped when she saw him staring levelly at her. He did nothing else, just _stared_.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

Sasuke was frowning, looking at her with an expression she couldn't name.

"Your eyes…"

"What? What about my eyes?"

"They're…different…"

"Huh? What does that mean?"

Sasuke let out an impatient sigh. He half didn't understand it himself, and he hated explaining things. And for another thing, he couldn't figure out why he cared.

"Never mind. Forget it."

Sasuke looked out the window again, ending the conversation. But now, he knew exactly what was wrong that he was seeing.

Her eyes were masked, hiding her emotions.

…_Just like him._

* * *

A few days passed. A few days in which Sakura struggled to follow what her mother had told her. It was harder than she thought it would be. She didn't know how to show Sasuke what he had left and what was still there. Each attempt failed, and she wasn't even sure he knew what she was trying to do.

Sasuke was making his way towards recovery. He could walk a little now, though not without help. Sakura could tell the Uchiha felt greatly mortified that he couldn't walk on his own, but Sakura could care less. She pointed out to him (though he didn't appreciate the comment as any consolation) that at least he could eat by himself.

Sakura started making food for him to eat instead of the hospital food, a routine that she never got thanked for, but did anyways. At least he ate without complaining, she told herself. She wasn't exactly sure what compelled her to, but she continued to bring ruby apples to peel.

The tulips in the vase that she had brought were in full, glorious bloom. When the sun shined on them, you could see each delicate petal and the membrane of each leaf. Sakura made sure to water them daily. They were the only thing keeping the room from being totally dismal.

One day, Sakura found that Sasuke had been moved from the intensive care unit. She was taking him his lunch, and a nurse notified her that he had been moved.

Sakura found the new room and took out Sasuke's food.

"So, it seems you're even closer to getting out of the hospital," she commented. "It's nicer here than in intensive care, isn't it?"

"Hn. It doesn't matter. It's still the hospital. I'll be out of here one way or another."

"You're just going to have to get used to this."

"I'll tolerate it. No more."

"Whatever you say."

They fell into silence again.

Sakura began peeling another red apple.

* * *

Sakura moved the flowers into Sasuke's new room after he had eaten. The new room was brighter, and Sakura liked it. She never had liked intensive care—the hall was always silent unless a patient was screaming, and the rooms smelled of death.

Sakura arranged the flowers to her liking on the window sill, Sasuke watching impassively.

"Why did you get those?" He asked.

"I wanted your room to be a little…lighter, I guess," Sakura answered.

"Why flowers, of all things, though?" A little irritation made its way to the edge of his voice.

"Oh, I don't know. I love flowers. They're very happy." Sakura didn't tell him what Ino had told her. _Believe me. I love you_.

Sasuke shrugged.

"Hey Sasuke, what are you going to do once you get out of the hospital?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just curious. Come on, it can't hurt to tell me, right?"

"It doesn't help anything, either."

"Please? As…as an old teammate."

Sakura had so wanted to say _friend_, but she had to remember that Sasuke didn't even think of her as that much.

Sasuke snorted.

"Fine. I don't see why you care, but it's not like it matters. I'm leaving this place."

"Why? Haven't you already defeated Itachi?"

Sasuke took a ragged breath. "Yes. Itachi is gone. I have nothing left any more. It doesn't matter where I go." At the end his voice became monotonous.

"Noth—?" Sakura felt something in her snap. "_Nothing left_?" She almost hissed.

Sasuke looked up at Sakura when he heard her tone of voice. She slammed her fist on the table beside her, her eyes filled with fire. The mask was gone, chased away by the anger and hurt there.

"Nothings left?! Don't insult me! What are we to you then, Sasuke? Me, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei. Was it all meaningless?!"

Sasuke reacted calmly. "No, it was not all meaningless. I learned while I was part of team seven. But it was not enough. Now that I've learned everything, what's the point of coming back?"

"What's the point? _What's the point?_! _We're_ here! We've been waiting for _you_!" Sakura's voice was rising slowly with every word.

"I never asked you all to."

"Because you _never_ _tried_! We wanted to create a bond with you, but you pushed us away. For once, do something for me and stop _running_. You're an amazing shinobi, yet you can't even try to rely on others because it _scares_ you! It isn't fair to us, when we've been here the whole time! "

Her words were starting to break through Sasuke's well maintained barrier. His eyes grew dark, and he stood.

"Running? Afraid? I'll tell _you_ what's not fair, Sakura. Watching your entire family be killed and doing _nothing_ but watch. And then, to find that the one you blamed for all of it, who _took_ the blame, really had a reason for what he did? What can you _possibly_ say about that?"

Sakura exhaled quietly and walked over to Sasuke, looking up at his towering figure, her eyes pleading and her voice begging.

"Sasuke, please, listen to me. Just this once. Even if…you never listen to me again, remember what I say to you now."

Sakura put her hands over her heart, speaking with all the conviction she could, just trying, _trying_ to make Sasuke understand

"We are all human. We all care about others. There are people right now, who care about _you_, and we are just as susceptible to being hurt as you. But it _doesn't stop us!_ We _live_, we _breath_e, and through it all _we keep believing_. I know…that you're hurting. And I'm not going to tell you that everything's alright, because it's not. But you've _got_ to understand that that's _not all there is!_ If you don't, I can't do _anything_."

Sasuke looked down at the short, pink-haired girl before him, spilling her heart out once again for his sake.

"I never asked you to."

_I never asked you to care._

Sakura stood before him looking at him as though she had been broken all over again.

Without another word, she ran out.

* * *

Naruto walked down the hospital hallway, on the way to visit Sasuke. He thought he would keep his friend entertained with tales of his own "heroic" deeds in his latest mission.

Just as he turned the corner, he nearly crashed into someone with pink hair.

"Whoa!"

Sakura gave Naruto a glance, then pushed on past him.

Naruto's eyes widened as he briefly saw the trail of tears streaking Sakura's pale face before she continued to run down the hall.

_Sakura?_

Naruto looked in the direction she had come from. The plaque next to the doorway she had left read: _Uchiha, Sasuke._

Naruto was definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was smart enough to put two and two together this time.

His blue eyes flashed, and he marched into Sasuke's room. The Uchiha was sitting on his bed, doing nothing in particular.

"Sasuke," he growled, "What did you do to Sakura?"

Sasuke looked up and frowned at the blonde. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Quit playing games, Sasuke!" Naruto's temper was quickly rising. "Sakura just ran off crying."

"I didn't do anything. It's her fault for caring. I never asked her to."

Naruto was an inch away from pounding Sasuke's face into the floor.

"Well you _should _care! She—" Naruto pointed a finger in the direction Sakura had gone, "—has been waiting for you, and trying her best to keep herself together! How can you just ignore that?!"

Sasuke was getting tired of listening to Naruto yell at him.

"Why should it matter? After all, I'm already dying."

* * *

Aneko: Oh dear. I hate this cliffie. Just because I'm sympathetic for those who are actually waiting for the next chapter. Please understand. Hope you liked this chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Aneko: Chapter seven! I'm having so much fun here. Can you tell?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 7

"What did you just say?" Naruto said, his voice a hoarse growl. He grabbed Sasuke's collar and actually lifted him partly out of the bed, even though Sasuke was a patient.

"Can't you hear? I said, _I'm dying_." Sasuke said irritably. "Kakashi told me not to tell either of you, but I don't see why it matters any more."

Sasuke brushed Naruto's hands away impatiently, and the fox put him down.

Naruto stared at Sasuke with wide, angry eyes. "And you don't care?!"

"He said there's a chance that I'll live, but it's up to me to try." Sasuke's tone was frighteningly indifferent.

"But what about surgery?" Naruto asked desperately.

"There is none. It doesn't matter—I've already achieved my goal, and now there's nothing left for me."

"Sasuke! Do I have to beat it into your head again?! 'Cause I will if I have to!" Naruto shouted. "We're your friends!"

"Hn. You sound just like Sakura. How annoying."

"WELL SHE'S RIGHT! What will it take to make you realize what you have, you idiot? Huh?!"

By this time, Naruto's shouting had attracted the attention of some of the nurses. They came into the room, attempting to soothe him to stop him from aggravating the patient. Naruto pulled away from their grasp, glaring fiercely at the Uchiha as the nurses ushered him out of the room with gentle murmurs.

"Sasuke, you better not give up, you hear me?! You can't die! _I won't let you die!_"

The nurses succeeded in getting Naruto out the door, but not before he got in another word.

_"You can't die!"_

Sasuke looked out the window again, but this time his eyes were swirling with emotion. His fist tightened around the hospital sheet.

_You're the idiot, Naruto…_

* * *

Sakura ran and ran until she could run no farther. When she stopped, she was surprised to find herself on the other side of the village.

She stopped and hugged herself tightly.

"_I never asked you to."  
_

His _voice_. Sakura shivered. His voice had been just as cold as when he had left the village those years ago.

"You never asked me to, but _darn it_, Sasuke, can't I care because _I_ want to?!" Sakura hissed between clenched teeth.

He had already given up on the world. He had given up before he'd even given it a chance. Did he really expect them all to let him go so easily?

_But is it really everyone? _A little voice in the back of her mind asked her. _Or is it just you?_

Was she, again, being selfish, a nuisance that no one wanted?

Sakura looked around. She was in the park that was right next to…

…The Uchiha district of town.

Or, to be more specific, the abandoned Uchiha district. After Sasuke's whole family had been murdered, he had moved into a small apartment.

Sakura wasn't really sure why, but she started walking towards it. She climbed over the sign that held the Uchiha symbol. It had fallen from the arch that marked the entry years ago from disrepair.

Every house she saw was barely more than a worn-down shell filled with cobwebs and dust. Here and there, there was a shop or two.

When she reached her destination, she knew it for what it was, even though she had never been here before. It had a certain air about it, even ten years later.

The main house. Sasuke's home.

It was in even worse condition than any of the other buildings. Even now, there was an uneasy feeling about it, something wrong, as though the occupants were suddenly ripped from their everyday lives. Which, in fact, they were.

After that day, Sasuke must have never even looked back at the place, except to gather his meager belongings and move into an apartment.

Sakura paused, then walked toward the house. The grass was long and wild, overgrown with wildflowers and weeds.

The boards creaked as she walked forward, and the house was buried in darkness. She suppressed a shudder and continued walking. The silence was eerie, almost feeling haunted.

Sakura tried to imagine what it must have been like to come home to this at six years old. A dark, mournful house and a bloody room.

Sakura jumped as a board fell from the ceiling, crashing down to splinter into a thousand pieces. She mentally berated herself for being taken by surprise. It was just an old house. No need to get surprised by anything.

A door was in front of her. Sakura opened it and, even though it was empty of anything at all, she knew it had once been Sasuke's.

Or, almost anything. There was a dresser in a corner, and there was something on top of it which Sakura couldn't make out in the darkness. She picked it up in curiosity. It was a picture frame, the glass covered in grime and dust.

Sakura wiped the dust away slowly with her thumb.

The faces of four fours Uchiha's peered up at her. Sasuke stood next to his brother, his mother and father on his brother's other side. At the time the picture was taken, he was glancing up at his older brother in obvious admiration.

What broke her heart though, was that they were all smiling. Itachi and his mother smiled openly, and his father had no frown, at least.

And Sasuke. Little six-year-old Sasuke smiled at his older brother like he was the very sun itself. A smile that had been snapped in half and thrown away into a deep, dark place.

Sakura fell to her knees in the ghostly room, the faces behind the glass becoming blurred and unrecognizable as the tears filled her eyes. She hugged the photo to her, rocking back and forth slightly.

_Why? Why did you have to take away his smile?_

* * *

Back in the hospital, Tsunade was sitting up in her office, doing dreaded paperwork, when the door burst open. She looked up and saw Naruto standing there, with an ugly expression on his face.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Tsunade asked, but she already had a guess.

"_What's wrong?_" Naruto growled. "What does Sasuke mean, he's going to die?!"

Tsunade sighed. "I wondered if he would spill the beans. I _did_ tell Kakashi to tell him not to, but he obviously doesn't care what I say."

Tsunade put down her papers and looked Naruto square in the eye. "I won't lie to you Naruto, there is a high chance that Sasuke will die. He received massive damage to his main functioning systems. The only reason I can think of that he can still move is that the shock hasn't reached his brain yet."

"Does Sakura know?"

"No, she doesn't. We were trying to keep it from the both of you."

"Well, can't you do something about it?!"

"No."

"You're one of the three legendary sannin!" Naruto practically shouted in her face, "Can't you do _anything_?!"

"Don't you think I would if I could?!" Tsunade responded just as heatedly.

She sighed, more quietly, and for the first time Naruto noticed how tired she looked.

When she spoke again, her voice was a quiet "I've looked in _every book_ I could find, Naruto. I've even contacted the other hidden villages. _No one_ can find a cure." Tsunade looked up at Naruto, and her eyes were sad. "Believe me, Naruto, I would do something if I could. I don't want to have to see anyone else suffer if I can do something about it. But there's just _nothing I can do_."

Naruto glared at the floor, but didn't yell any more. He knew it would do no good. "Okay," he muttered. "I get it."

He turned to go.

"Naruto," Tsunade called, making him pause. "Please…don't tell Sakura."

"Of course not," Naruto said, his voice a barely audible mutter now. "No way…"

"_It's just that she's trying to keep her heart from hurting__."_

"…No way would I be the one to cause her more heartache."

* * *

Sakura was able to pull herself together after a while, enough so that she could go back to work at the hospital.

But when she approached the large double white doors, they seemed more daunting than usual.

_I don't want to go back and face him_, Sakura realized, her lips tightening into a thin line.

She didn't want to go back and hear him say those words again.

_I need to spend a little time away from him_, Sakura decided. Just a little wouldn't hurt, right?

Sakura went back into the hospital. There were other nurses who could take care of Sasuke for a short time. His needs weren't that great.

* * *

Sasuke was sitting peacefully in his room. None of the other nurses had come to check on him since Sakura had left, but that didn't bother him much. It was more peaceful this way.

Suddenly, a searing pain erupted in his chest. Sasuke curled over onto his side, clutching at the bed sheets in half-consciousness. As he lay there, trying to bear the pain, his conversation with Kakashi from several days ago began echoing through his mind.

_

* * *

_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi as he closed the door.

"_What's so important that you can't let __them__—" he jerked his head towards the door, "—know about?"_

_Kakashi laughed. "You know me well, huh? I was called into Lady Tsunade's office this morning. She told me to tell you. You are not allowed to tell Naruto and Sakura this under any circumstance."_

"_What? Did the village burn down?" Sasuke asked dryly._

"_Oh? Someone got a sense of humor."_

"_Funny. What do you want?"_

"_Is that any way to treat your old sensei?"_

_They fell into silence, and Kakashi went over to open the window, letting a breeze waft into the room._

"_I don't know what you'll think of this, but…Sasuke…" Kakashi sighed. "Well…your body has been receiving a lot of damage recently, and…it looks like you're in bad shape. There's a high possibility that your body will give out soon, and…you'll die."_

_Sasuke looked at the sheets through half-lidded eyes. "I know. I can feel it. This body is deteriorating."_

_Kakashi looked at his student, his expression half hidden by his facial mask._

_Sasuke smirked. "Too bad," he said, his sarcasm evident. "I had so much to do with my life."_

_Kakashi turned back to the window._

"_Yeah."_

_Sasuke never got a chance to see the brief wet, silver trail, make its way down his old teacher's face._

* * *

Sasuke's muscles tightened and untightened, his body racked with shivers.

"I guess this is the end…"

* * *

Sakura came to a dead stop as she checked another patient's chart. Her body was telling her something was horribly wrong.

There was a clatter out in the hall, and shouting, which was growing closer to her.

A medic burst through the door, panting. For a wild moment he looked around, until he spotted Sakura standing there.

"Sakura! It's Sasuke! He's—"

Sakura's breath froze and her hearing went silent. But it didn't matter, because she already knew what he was going to say.

"—_dying."_

* * *

Aneko: The end is approaching.


	8. Chapter 8

Aneko: Oh, how I loved spring break! It may not be very long, but at least I get a few good days to catch up on sleep.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 8

"—_Dying."_

The clipboard fell from Sakura's nerveless grasp, and papers flew around her in a storm of white. She barely heard the clatter as the clipboard hit the floor.

And then she was off, running down the hall with all the strength she had. When she arrived in Sasuke's room, though, he was not there. They had already taken him to another room. She knew where he would be, so Sakura raced off again.

As she ran, the pounding of her heart mixed with Sasuke's words—the clues she should have recognized before for what they were.

"_Don't get your hopes up, because I'm not going to be here for very long."_

"_It doesn't matter."_

_"I'll be out of here one way or another."_

_"I'll tolerate it."_

_"I'm leaving this place."  
_

_"I have nothing left any more. It doesn't matter where I go."  
_

He had known he was going to die. How could she have missed it?

Sakura's eyes widened. The monitor for Sasuke's internal organs. She had never been able to get a look at them.

But Lady Tsunade had said—

"_Hmm? Is that so? I'll see what I can do. We may have to get a new computer. That could take a while."_

How long had _a while_ meant? Until Sasuke had _died_?!

_Why didn't she tell me?_ Sakura's mind asked in anguish. Why had she been kept in the dark?

Sakura skidded to a halt in front of the emergency room that housed Sasuke.

It was like the first day all over again. Sasuke's body was buried underneath sheets and tubes connected to his body. Various beeps kept away the silence. The heart monitor dominated all sounds though, its loud beat grating against everything frighteningly.

Doctors flew about left and right in a panic, shouting at each other. The one who seemed to be in charge spotted Sakura.

"Sakura! Thank goodness you're here! We're trying to stabilize him, but nothing's working!"

The heart rate monitor suddenly flat lined.

* * *

"_What_ did you say?!" Tsunade slammed her fists on the table, rising from her chair. She had paid no heed to her great strength, and the desk cracked under the pressure of her hands.

"Sasuke Uchiha is in critical condition. We're trying to work on him."

"Who's down there?"

"Sakura Haruno was just called for, and—"

Tsunade interrupted the man with a quiet curse and ran out of her room.

* * *

Sakura's eyes widened in horror.

The doctors rushed around and shouted even more, but it was background noise in her ears. She approached the side of Sasuke's bed in a trance.

His face already seemed to contain the paleness of death. Sakura's training dropped into place again.

"Everyone out except those in charge!" She snapped loud enough for the whole room to hear.

"But—"

"_Now_!" Sakura shouted.

Five or so people scrambled out, fearing the temper of the Hokage's apprentice. The only people left were Sakura, a female and male doctor.

"Give me an up-to-date on his condition," Sakura demanded.

The female began firing off the story rapidly. "A nurse found him unconscious in his room. She called for assistance and his vital signs were checked. His heart rate was too slow and they found internal bleeding and multiple broken bones. We're not sure what's causing his critical state. If he's not treated soon, he will die."

"Go find Lady Tsunade. Leave him to me." Sakura pointed to the female doctor.

"What should I do?" The male doctor asked expectantly. Sakura was, as strange as it seemed, of higher rank in the hospital.

Sakura ignored the question. She fell to her knees beside Sasuke, as if drawn by some invisible force. She placed her hands on his chest. She could feel his very faint breaths rising and falling, but only just. It almost felt like she could feel the life draining from him, the coldness already setting into his skin, the warmth sucked away.

Very steadily, Sakura began to put chakra into her hands. They glowed green, and the stream began increasing, bit by bit.

Sakura frowned with concentration, a bead of sweat trickling down her face. It felt too hot in the room all of a sudden.

"H-hey, what are you doing?" Asked the poor man in the room with Sakura. He was new to the hospital, and didn't know how powerful Sakura was. Sakura didn't respond.

He reached forward to touch her on the shoulder. Just as his fingers made contact, an electric current went through his entire body.

"Agh!" Somehow, he was sent hurtling into the hallway by an unseen force.

* * *

"What the—?!" Tsunade arrived just in time to see the man fly out into the hall and hit the opposite wall.

"What happened?" She asked. The man just groaned, his mind in a stupor from the shock of hitting his head.

Tsunade walked to the doorway and froze mouth and eyes wide, her hands on the sides of the doorway. Behind her, Shizune nearly crashed into the Hokage at the sudden stop.

"Lady Tsunade, what's—?" Shizune stopped when she saw the room, and her jaw dropped as well.

Sakura sat by Sasuke's side, motionless, but dancing around the both of them and cocooning them was a visible electrical current which was a lovely shade of green. It raged through the room, dancing along the floor, walls and ceiling, yet never touched the two occupants. It created a loud, high-pitched screeching that was similar to chidori.

"What is that?" Shizune asked, shouting to be heard above the noise.

"It can't be!" Tsunade shouted. "But—is that…her chakra?!"

"We can't just leave them in there!" Shizune attempted to move forward, but Tsunade stopped her.

"No, leave them be! You don't know what will happen if you try to go in there! If you go in now, you could get shocked."

"But—!"

"There's nothing I can do, but maybe…just maybe, Sakura will be able to save him."

"How?! Lady Tsunade, you said it was impossible!"

Tsunade shook her head. "A long time ago, I learned that "impossible" is only a word. It's up to each person to decide whether it has any effect."

Indeed, because of Naruto, she now had faith in these children. All of them.

"Old Lady Tsunade!"

Tsunade turned. Naruto ran up, along with the rest of the Rookie Nina and Gai's team. Kakashi was also standing unnoticed in the back, behind all of them.

"What's going on in there?" Ino asked, staring in astonishment at the sight before her.

"Sakura…Sakura is trying to save Sasuke."

"Is there anything we can do?" Naruto asked. He looked desperate. Standing around not doing anything would drive hime insane.

"Yes, there is," Tsunade said. She turned back to look at her pupil and the operation. "Pray."

* * *

Sakura was unaware of the conversation that had just taken place behind her. All her concentration was focused on making Sasuke _stay alive_.

All her senses were heightened, perhaps because of the electrical charge she seemed to have created. She didn't know how, but only a very dim part of her mind wondered why. She was focused on one thing only.

Sakura could feel the energy draining from her quickly at the rate she was expelling it, but she pushed on. Sasuke was unconscious and could not hear her, but still Sakura began speaking.

"No…" She muttered, but her voice gained strength with every word she spoke. "Not…again. I'm not just going to stand by…and watch you walk away again. There's no way…I'm letting go! Don't you _dare_ let go of these hands! _Sasuke!_"

_These hands that hold you tightly…these people who care about you more than you know. Acknowledge them…_

She could feel all of them out there, all of their chakras, and knew what he meant to each of them.

_A friend._

_Rival. _

_Crush._

"You aren't running away this time, Sasuke!" By this time, she was practically screaming hysterically. "Not while I have the strength to stop you! No matter how painful it is, no matter how hard it seems sometimes, _we live_! It's the most difficult, and sometimes frightening, battle there is, and I know that Sasuke Uchiha is _not_ a coward! By all the power I have in my body, _I won't let you die_! Don't you _dare_ die!"

Tears rolled unchecked down Sakura's face, but she couldn't wipe them away. What was the point if she was just going to keep crying? She gritted her teeth to the point of pain, ignoring the exhaustion that was starting to settle around her shoulders like a heavy, unwanted blanket.

* * *

"What's she doing?" Naruto panicked. "It's hurting her!"

"Don't go in there!" Tsunade barked out, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder to stop her. "No one is to touch them until it is over!"

Ino looked on, her eyes misty as she watched the struggle.

"Hey, you okay?"

Ino turned to look at her lazy genius of a teammate. Even he had shown up for this chancing tragedy.

"Yeah. I'm going to be fine, guess. Just worried about Sakura."

"Worried?"

Ino smiled. "Well…yeah, just a little. But also, as strange as it seems…I'm kind of proud of her."

Proud of her friend who was willing to hold on tight to the one she loved.

* * *

"N-Naruto."

Naruto turned at the voice. Hinata was looking at him in concern, but her face was also calm.

"D-don't worry about Sakura. I-I'm sure she'll b-be fine."

Naruto relaxed just a little bit. He nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

He turned back to watching his teammates. _Now I just have to worry about Sasuke._

* * *

Kakashi stood with an inscrutable expression, his arms crossed as he also watched. He could feel the tension radiating off of the young people around him. He watched Sakura, and knew that he had never been so proud of his female student.

* * *

Sakura gasped. Somehow, she could feel him starting to slip away from her grasp.

"No, no, _NO_!" Sakura screamed.

With a scream of sheer desperation, Sakura increased her chakra levels, putting so much into it that the room began to be swamped with a greenish light.

* * *

Everyone averted their eyes as the light grew unbearably bright, now a blinding white with only a shadow of the green healing chakra coloring it.

When the light finally died away, leaving spots on everyone's eyes, they looked into the room and saw that the lightning sparks had died away, leaving the room empty and silent.

"Sakura!" Naruto suddenly called out, just as the kunoichi's body sagged forward, collapsing, unconscious, onto the bed near Sasuke's arm.

Everyone surged into the room, fluttering around the bed, talking all at once. Tsunade walked in more slowly, hesitantly. She walked over to her apprentice and looked down at her. Sakura's brow was covered in a sheen of sweat, and even in sleep, she looked exhausted.

Immediately the question was raised. "What about Sasuke?"

A hush fell, and everyone turned to look at the heart monitor.

A steady, reassuring beeping filled the room.

All the breath everyone held was released in an almost audible sigh.

"All right, everybody get out now," Tsunade ordered.

"But what about Sakura?" Naruto protested.

"For now, leave her," Tsunade said, glancing at her apprentice. "She must be exhausted. I don't want to possibly wake her."

Tsunade watched everyone file out, then she turned back to Sakura and walked over to her. She looked down at the girl; A sheen of sweat covered her brow, and even in her sleep she seemed to be frowning, as though she was still fighting for Sasuke's life.

Tsunade smoothed the pink hair away from Sakura's face. A gentle smile came to her face that rarely appeared.

"You did it Sakura," she murmured. "I'm so proud of you. And I've never been so happy to be proven wrong."

Tsunade walked out quietly.

The heart monitor continued beeping softly.

Aneko: I might have taken one or two too many liberties. If so, please forgive me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Aneko: Okay, sorry this took so long, but my computer crashed a while back, so I've been recovering. It took a while to get back up on my feet. Warning—this chapter is super long.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**

* * *

**

Chapter 9

Sakura woke slowly, blinking groggily. She tried to remember what she had been doing before becoming unconscious, working through the fog in her mind.

Suddenly, the events of a little while ago jumped into her mind, and she surged to her feet, hyperventilating in panic. What about Sasuke--?!

Sakura whirled around and stared at the heart monitor.

A steady beating rhythm was accompanied by the spiked green line.

Sakura was almost afraid to believe. She turned to look at the boy lying on the bed, his face pale, and stumbled to stand beside him. She reached out, frantically yet hesitatingly at the same time, and checked his pulse. It was alive beneath her fingers.

Sakura backed up a few steps, just staring at his sleeping face. And then, knees weak, she collapsed to the ground.

"He's...alive…?" She stared up at the ceiling. Tears poured from her eyes. "Sasuke's…_alive_…"

The only witness to her tears was the sleeping Uchiha.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?"

The question was so quiet Tsunade barely heard it.

For the first time in her life, the Hokage felt like the bad guy. Sakura stood before her, eyes dull and blank.

Tsunade shifted uncomfortably.

"I didn't want you to know. I didn't want you to suffer more than you have already. I know that it wasn't the best choice I've ever made, and I'm sorry. I'm not going to try and tell you that things are better now because I know that it's not. But please try to understand. You're like a daughter to me, Sakura. I don't want to see you in pain."

Sakura quietly absorbed the answer, and walked out.

* * *

"_Sasuke."_

_Sasuke turned, searching for the voice that called him._

"_Sasuke." The voice came again._

_Sasuke turned. _

"_Itachi…"_

_His brother stood before him, smiling slightly. Sasuke tried to walk towards Itachi, but the older Uchiha shook his head. Sasuke stopped again._

_  
"Not this time, Sasuke."  
_

_Sasuke!" Another voice called him from behind._

_Sasuke turned. Sakura stood a few feet behind him, holding her hand out to him. But she wasn't alone. Beside her stood Naruto, what looked like the rest of the village stood behind them._

"_Let's go home Sasuke," Sakura said gently, smiling._

"_Sasuke, go with them."  
_

_Sasuke turned back to Itachi. His older brother's body was fading, as though he was unable to hold on. _

"_There are people waiting for you."_

* * *

The first sound that greeted his ears was a beeping.

_I'm…alive?_ He thought. _No, that can't be…_

But, pausing to catalogue his pains, he found that there were none. And now, above the beeping, he could hear faint voices. It took a moment, but he finally managed to open his eyes.

He was greeted with a bright shock of blond hair.

"Hey! He's awake!" Naruto grinned down at Sasuke. Sasuke frowned.

He looked around, but there was no sign of pink hair anywhere.

"Oh, good! I'll go inform Lady Tsunade immediately." A second voice said, and then there were receding footsteps.

"What…happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, when you said you were dying I didn't think you meant so soon," Naruto said, his tone turning instantly serious. "I hadn't even left the hospital when I caught one of the medics running around like crazy trying to find Sakura and tell her. I sent shadow clones to go find everyone, and we all went to your room."

Sasuke frowned. "The messenger went to find Sakura?" He knew his voice was skeptical, but he couldn't help it.

"Sasuke…"Naruto sighed. "You really don't know anything about Sakura anymore…"

* * *

Tsunade sat in her room, staring out over the village. She could still remember when she had first heard of Sasuke's supposedly inevitable fate from Shizune.

_Tsunade let out a loud, pent-up sigh. "Good. I swear, these kids take years off my life." She began hunting around for some sake in celebration._

"_But…I have some bad news…"_

_Tsunade froze, a sake bottle partly raised to her mouth._

"…_What kind of bad news?"_

_Shizune shifted nervously. "Well…when he was first brought in, the damage didn't look that bad, and at first glance it looked like just some extensive healing could take care of the biggest problems. But after we took full body scans, there was massive damage to internal organs."_

"_How bad?" Tsunade asked sharply. _

_Shizune met Tsunade's eyes reluctantly. "We don't know how long it will take, but…the chances of death are high."_

Tsunade sat, deathly silent as she took it in. Inside, she grieved. She had thought that this time, she might be able to break the painful course of Team 7. But no, she was just as helpless as when her own team had been torn apart.

"_Shizune, delete the data in the main computer. The data on Sasuke's internal organs."_

"B—but Lady Tsunade, we need those records to—!"

"_Do as I say, Shizune," the Hokage said, raising her voice. "Please. And whatever you do, do not let Sakura and Naruto know about this. If only for a little while…I want them to be able to be together, without worry."_

"_Yes, Lady Tsunade," Shizune whispered._

* * *

A knock on her door interrupted Tsunade's thoughts. Shizune entered.

"Lady Tsunade. Sasuke Uchiha has woken up."

Tsunade sighed. "I'll be right there," she said quietly.

* * *

"So, I see you're up and lively."

Naruto and Sasuke looked up. Tsunade stood in the doorway, scrutinizing the Uchiha.

"I want to do a quick physical, but from what I can see, you look fine."

By the time she was done, Tsunade was thoroughly amazed. There was no sign of wear or damage to Sasuke's body, even in any computer scan.

She looked up at Sasuke, frowning. "You've got a clean bill of health. You're allowed to leave the hospital now. I have to say, I didn't think you would live. But it seems Sakura was intent on proving me wrong."

"Why am I still alive?" Sasuke asked.

Tsunade debated a moment. "I'm not really sure. In all my years as a medic I've never seen anything like it before. If I had to guess though, I'd say that Sakura's chakra reacted with yours, which has the element of lightning engrained into its property, and it produced an electrical current that restarted your heart. After that, she was able to use that same current to halt the internal bleeding and completely heal you."

Sasuke frowned again. This was the second mention of Sakura like this. "So, my body is fine…"

"Although, I'm not about to let you go waltzing around the village and do whatever you please." Tsunade motioned Shizune forward. Her assistant handed her a scroll.

"Just so you know," Tsunade informed him as she unrolled it. "I'm going to be sealing your chakra, and you won't be able to take off the seal, no matter what you try. Only I, Shizune, or Sakura can remove it. And it will not dissipate even if you kill the one who cast it, so if you get any ideas I suggest you just drop them now."

Sasuke shrugged. He didn't really care. He had no major priorities that needed his attention. It might become an annoyance after a while, though.

"It will stay on until the council decides what to do with you."

Tsunade performed a string of hand signs, and when she was done, two winding tattoos decorated Sasuke's wrists. Sasuke rubbed them absently.

"Well then," Tsunade said, standing and walking back to the door. "If you do cause any trouble, you won't be able to do anything much."

She paused, then looked back at Sasuke. "You're lucky to be alive, Sasuke Uchiha. You were given a second shot at life. Don't mess it up this time, understand?" With that said, she exited, heading back to her office.

Sasuke turned back to Naruto. The fox had been staring at him all throughout Tsunade's examination and sealing.

"What is it now, Naruto?" He asked, faintly irritated, though not sure why.

"You really don't get it, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Why was it that everyone seemed to be speaking in riddles lately?

"Sakura…she…she's been working her hardest all this time for you. It's so obvious to all of us here, but…when you came back, she looked like she was going to break. You never even spared her a glance, but she…she's been looking at you this whole time."

Sasuke said nothing—what could he say? He had willingly left everything behind How could he pick up the pieces of what had never been there in the first place?.

Sasuke stood up gingerly, and found that his legs were strong. It felt like he had never even been to the hospital. The only reminders he carried were the two seals. He strode to the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Out." Sasuke replied shortly, before walking out.

* * *

Sakura ran and ran and ran. She only stopped when her lungs screamed for air and her chest heaved. She stood in the training grounds, just staring blankly at the ground.

Then, suddenly, with a scream of pain, she threw herself at the forest that edged the training area, punching the first tree her fist came in contact with. Wood chips sprayed everywhere, showering her, but she didn't pay any attention to it. Sakura just kept punching, destroying anything her fingers touched.

Why was she always so helpless? _Always!_ No matter what she did, she couldn't save him. She couldn't make him acknowledge her, and she couldn't show him what was really important. She was back to being twelve again, helpless and weak. Nothing had changed, and yet nothing would ever be the same.

And she was broken again, just like she always was by him.

Each time it was **Always**. Always, always, _always_. The word repeated in her mind relentlessly.

Sakura just kept throwing herself through the trees, her hands acting almost of her own will as tears sparkled on her cheeks. She just kept going until she didn't have to think, didn't have to feel. And she created more craters, more nothingness, because at the moment, that was _all she could do_.

And when at last she stumbled and fell, her super strength deserting her, there was no one there to catch her.

* * *

Sasuke walked through the village. It was oddly quiet. Or maybe his sudden appearance had shocked everyone to silence.

In all honesty, he didn't know why Naruto's words nagged at him so much. He had left them all behind, with no plans to ever return. And now, here he was again, in the place that held memories foul and fair, all swirled together in a dark mass.

He looked through almost the whole village but didn't find her. He had already covered all the ground to the training area.

That was when he saw the first craters.

They were recent, starting around the edge of the training ground. And they were large, big enough to stand in. Being a shinobi, Sasuke, had seen many strange things, but he had never seen anything like this. He vaguely recalled Orochimaru mentioning Tsunade's inhuman strength once, but this work could not have been hers—she had been at the hospital. But hadn't Sakura been apprenticed to the fifth Hokage?

Sasuke walked towards them and found that they continued on into the surrounding forest. The farther he went, the more there were—whole sections of trees blown away to form strange dents in the land—until suddenly, they just stopped, apparently for no reason at all. There was no sign of her still.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. But she had _been_ here. He could see the marks of her shoes on the soft ground. There was also a spot that looked like she had fallen. But she was not here either.

The path of destruction had led him in a semicircle, away from the training grounds and the road, and then back towards it. He was back on the borderline of trees that grew just beside the road. Sasuke emerged from it and looked around.

And saw her sitting beneath the cherry blossom tree.

* * *

Sakura was staring at the ground when a pair of feet entered her vision. She wondered if Naruto or Ino had come to check up on her, but didn't bother to look up and check.

And then she heard the one voice she never expected to hear.

"Sakura."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she looked up at Sasuke. The sun shone through the gaps of the cherry blossom tree and painted spots of light and shadow on his face. Sakura felt that she should have been surprised that he was up and walking around, but the only thing that would register in her mind was that _he_ was standing in front of _her_, not the other way around.

For a moment, Sakura did nothing, just gazed up at him; but after a moment she stood up. The wind blew gently through, filling the space between them and letting Sakura's short hair fall across her face, hindering her vision.

"Why are you here, Sasuke?" She could hear the undisguised weariness in her own voice.

After all, she was so very tired.

Tired of feigning indifference around him. Tired of trying to crush her hopes into dust, just as she had to the woods around her. Tired of pretending her feelings weren't there.

"Why?"

Sakura blinked in confusion at the one-worded question.

"Why what?"

Sasuke looked at her with piercing eyes, as though he were trying to make her visible to her very core.

"I never asked you to care, so why…?"

Sakura felt a sudden surge of something within her, which she hadn't felt stir in a long time.

And Sakura came to a decision. She was tired of not admitting things any more.

"Because," Sakura said, and in the silence she smiled. "I love you."

Sasuke said nothing. But he knew that for once, he could trust these words. After all, he had heard something that he was never meant to hear…

_

* * *

_

Sasuke woke to some sort of beeping. He attempted to open his eyes, but for some reason it was very difficult. He thought he could feel something over his face, but he wasn't sure. As he lay there, trying to get the feel of his surroundings, he wondered what had woken him up. Then he felt it again: someone was stroking his hair, brushing it out of his face.

_That's when he heard the voice, raw with emotion as it always was._

"_Look at what you've done to me, Sasuke." _

Sakura? _Sasuke wondered in disbelief_.

"_I thought I could move on…I thought I could _heal_…_I thought I could live!_ And __you__…you had to come back, just when I thought I would be able to forget." _

_Something hot and wet stained his hand._ She's crying…

"_Now look at me, Sasuke. Look what you've done! I can't forget now, not with you around me again. You broke me again. Are you glad?...I don't know…"_

_He heard her take a deep breath, and his bed rose as (he assumed) she stood up. Sasuke allowed his mind to rest once more, certain she was done crying._

_And then he heard the last words she whispered that no one was meant to hear._

"_I suppose it's my fault, though…I still love you, after all."_

* * *

Sasuke had never trusted those words.

Until now.

He had never thought of girls—they always went on about how amazing and handsome he was, but never about himself. They never saw anything beyond the shell.

But somehow, Sakura had.

He had known nothing but fake affection, girls who would spout off their feelings for him in a heartbeat. But, he had thought, none of them would waste their breath if he couldn't hear them. Sakura had spilled her heart for him one more time.

And as he stood there, looking at her, he found that even though he had turned her away so many times, Sakura's eyes were still looking at him.

Sakura stood there, and as she watched the boy (man) before her, she slowly released the lock on the tight cage of her heart. This time, she knew that she was not hallucinating, or dragging around foolish dreams.

She could feel the painful rift between them closing just a few sore inches. It was the first step onto a long road. She didn't know where it would lead, but she knew that this time, he wasn't going to make her try to walk it alone.

_But still…between this moment and the coming future…a little more…time would pass…_

_-_

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_**Epilogue**_

Time passes for everyone. The seasons change, people grow older and more mature.

In the hidden village of Konoha, a blonde-haired man sat flopped on a stone bench. One Naruto Uzumaki, a little older, maybe not so much wiser, lay there exhausted. He leaned forwards on his knees, wondering if the Elders would notice if he had snuck off for a short break for a visit to Ichiraku's. He scratched the back of his head, trying not to imagine the possible punishment that he would receive for slacking off.

He looked up finally at the presence he had been ignoring until now.

A little boy, age five at most, stood there, just staring at him. He had black hair and dark, almost completely black eyes—they had the slightest green tint to them. Naruto blinked, then squinted.

"What are you looking at, kid?" He griped, though it was more out of habit than actual complaining.

The boy didn't say anything; he just blinked and kept staring.

"Look, ain't your mom looking for you, squirt?" Naruto asked.

"You're the Hokage?" The boy asked in a very serious tone.

Naruto's expression turned into a grin. "You got it. Impressive, huh?"

The boy pondered for a moment. "How come you're Hokage, though? Father said you were an idiot…"

A vein twitched in Naruto's forehead. "WHAT? That ungrateful—! You tell your old man that I'm the BEST ninja! He just _wishes_ he could beat me!"

The child looked like he was about to respond when a woman's voice interrupted.

"Kousuke!"

Both Naruto and the child looked in the direction of the voice. A woman, with pink hair that had once again grown out, approached them. She reached for the child, picking him up.

"Really. Haven't I told you not to go to far?" She scolded, but her tone was motherly.

"I was talking to the him." Kousuke pointed.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I see." She brushed the hair out of his eyes and set him down again.

"Your father is coming home today, so let's go on home, Kousuke."

Kousuke's eyes brightened, and he set off running. Sakura was about to turn and follow when Naruto's voice stopped her.

"That kid of yours is just like his dad, you know that?" Naruto asked.

Sakura turned back, and smiled warmly. "Yeah. I know."

"Naruto!" A third voice sounded.

Both shinobi turned towards it. Hinata was running toward the Hokage.

"The Elders are calling for you," she said when she reached them.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, grinning. "Oh man, they caught me. Well, see ya another time, Sakura. You go ahead, Hinata."

Hinata nodded and ran off again. Naruto watched her retreating back for a moment, his eyes warm.

"Hey. Naruto."

He turned once again to Sakura. She smiled at him.

"When Sasuke gets back, let's go to Ichiraku's, okay?"

Naruto smiled his timeless grin. "Sure. Mind if I bring Hinata along?"

"Not at all."

Sakura watched Naruto run off. She gave a content sigh and looked up at the sky.

_At last_, she thought, beginning to follow her son back home. The Uchiha crest on her back appeared as the wind blew through her hair. _We've finally reached it. We've been struggling forward, trying our best this whole time, and I think we finally managed to finish walking down that long hard road. Now…_

Sakura held her hand up in the air, suddenly filled with an inexplicable happiness.

"We're free."

* * *

Aneko: I hope you liked it. Truly, I enjoyed this fanfiction. I hope that you all did as much as I have. Thank you for reading, I am eternally grateful, and I hope you may read more of my stories in the future.


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